Hunt the haunted
by SirenShiera
Summary: The Brothers are sent a message from Dad, but what they find is like nothing they have ever faced before. Story arch running parallel to the series 1-5..
1. Chapter 1

This story starts during season 1, but will continue on to season 5. It's basically a story arch running parallel to the series.

Hope you enjoy and Thanks for reading. ^_^

Siren Shiera

**Disclaimer: **Shiera Leinshire belongs to me all the rest belongs to someone else....

* * *

"This it?" Sam asked as Dean parked on the side of the quite neighbourhood road.

"Yeah, according to dad's journal this was the Grandmothers house and it was passed on to her granddaughter, Shiera. " Dean pulled out his father's leather journal to look over the notes his dad had made about the Leinshire family history.

"You think she lives here? I mean it's kinda a quiet neighbourhood." Sam asked as he looked up and down the street. There was no sign of life anywhere; it was like all the houses were abandoned.

"Its geriatric central you mean," Dean commented not bothering to look up from his examination of the journal "but she's an orphan, where else would she go? Your dead relative leaves you a big old house I can't imagine you not take it."

"So how do you wanna do this?" Sam asked. Dean looked out across the street thinking about what would work the best.

"Reporters, we can say we're doing a rag to riches article." Sam nodded agreement as he reached into the glove box to get a writing pad out to help play the part. They both walked up the driveway of the Leinshire "manor". The house looked dark and empty. All the blinds were closed and it looked unwelcoming, oddly Sam found that comforting, a sign he'd been doing this job way to long. Dean knocked confidently on the door. They waited a few moments before looking doubtfully at each other.

"She could be out." Sam suggested with a shrug. With all the blinds shut it was hard to tell if there was anyone inside. Dean looked up at the windows, clearly thinking whether or not to come back later. It was then that they saw the tell-tale sign of movement of a blind being pushed open slightly.

"Shy I guess." Dean said dryly as he knocked on the door again. They waited patiently for someone to answer. After a few minutes, when it was clear they weren't going to leave, they heard the door lock release and the door open.

"Hi my name is…."Dean suddenly stopped mid sentence as the houses occupant looked out at them, looking less then pleased. It was a young woman roughly about their age, pretty enough, in Sam's opinion, she had long dark hair that was let loose and causing shadows to fall across her face. Sam instantly got the feeling of vulnerability from her. There wasn't much in the journal about her, except that her parents had died when she was young and that her grandmother had taken her, but had died after only one year. The only other thing was that there was a curse on the family. He wasn't sure what it was they were supposed to do here, but their dad had sent them a message saying to look at this particular entry and so they had both assumed that meant "Go check it out". Dean still hadn't managed to finish his statement. Sam looked at him in confusion. Dean just had a blank face.

"Shiera Leinshire?" Sam asked her. She nodded uncertainly at them both.

"Ah, sorry to disturb you, I'm Sam McCoy and this is Dean Logan, we're reporters and we were wondering if we could talk to you." Sam tried act as if Dean had never even opened his mouth. He could tell he wasn't entirely successful by her expression. Shiera switched her attention from Dean to him and raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"Why?" She asked him.

"Why?" Sam asked her slightly thrown by the whole situation.

"Why would you want to talk to me?" She explained for him patiently.

"Well we're doing a rags to riches article and we were hoping to interview you for a piece." Sam inwardly cringed, it had seemed like a good line in the car, but now it didn't really feel like a good idea. Shiera gave him a long hard look.

"No." she informed him simply as she started to close the door.

"Wait, wait, wait." Dean had finally recovered himself from whatever it was that had thrown him and was diving to put his foot in her door. "Look, we're journalism students at the university and this is for a final, we're gonna flunk it, please help us out." He pleaded with her. She looked at him for a few seconds, before sighing.

"Fine." She said unenthusiastically and opened the door for them. The house was a dark inside as you expect from looking at the exterior. The house barely looked lived in. There was very little decoration, no pictures anywhere to be seen, and only the most necessary furniture.

"Cosy." Dean mumbled under his breathy, Sam flinched hoping that Shiera hadn't heard him.

"Sit." She instructed them briskly as she sat in a chair across from the old worn looking sofa. Both Sam and Dean sat obediently. There was an awkward silence as Shiera scrutinize both of them.

"Aren't you supposed to be interviewing me?" she asked them eventually.

"Yes, of course. So we were wondering if you could tell us a little about your family history." Sam asked her with what he hoped was a pleasant and innocent sounding voice. Shiera's face turned cold.

"I don't see what possible reason you would have to want to write about my family." She informed them coolly. That gave Sam pause, people were normally so forth coming with information, he wasn't used to people questioning them.

"Well ahhhh..... it's always good to have a comprehensive background for any article." Sam hoped she wouldn't see right through him, he certainly felt like he was completely unbelievable at this point.

"Well from what people have told me the Leinshire's founded this town, they have lived in this house for generations and I am the only one left. Is that enough back ground for you?" She clearly was not a very patient person; it seemed they were lucky that she was talking to them at all.

"What do you mean "from what people have told you"?" Dean asked her, he was not normally that astute, Sam was a little impressed by his big brothers attention to detail. Shiera was quiet for a few moments before she answered him.

"I was very young when the majority of my family died, talking about the history of the family was not something my parents or grandmother were inclined to do, they died themselves before I was old enough to wonder about it and so it's only from what others have told me that I have learned anything at all." Her voice lost some of its sharp edge as she spoke. Sam watched Dean's reaction, he was clearly upset by what she said, Sam thought that what she said reminded him allot of their own history, they knew next to nothing about their mother's family. Things like this always hit Dean harder than him, this time seemed to be no different.

"I'm sorry." There was no doubt that he mean it, it seemed that Shiera agreed, she smiled at Dean and nodded her thanks.

"So ah why don't you tell us about yourself." Sam offered trying to change the clearly awkward subject.

"I'm afraid there isn't much for you to write about me, I'm studying psychology at the university and that pretty much takes up all my time." She informed him simply.

"Hobbies?" Sam was desperately grasping at straws here.

"None." She told him flatly, he could swear she was almost smiling at him, no doubt enjoying making him reach for something for them to talk about.

"What about your house?" Dean asked her "your family built it when they founded the town, that's gotta make it, ya' know, old" She looked at him for a few seconds before answering, she was definitely amused by them by then.

"Yea, it's pretty old" she told him with a slight smile. She was not going to give them any information at all. Sam could tell they were getting nowhere and sooner or later Dean was gonna just start demanding answers and that would certainly get them nowhere, he decided a tactful retreat was in order.

"Well thanks for your time Miss Leinshire, hope we haven't bothered you too much." Sam said as he stood and reached out to shake her hand. She briefly shook his hand, seemingly to only want the briefest of contact. Dean stayed sitting looking up at them. Shiera simply looked down at him waiting for him to either stand and leave or say something. Sam sent him a beseeching look. Dean sighed quietly and rose from the sofa.

"Thanks" was all he said to her as she saw them to the door.

"Good luck with the article." She said with only a hint of amusement at their clearly failed attempt to interview her. She had told them nothing they didn't already know. With that she shut the door behind them, Sam could clearly hear the lock slamming shut, a clear message of 'go away' along with it.

* * *

"There is definitely something going on with her." Dean said when they finally got back to the Impala.

"Really? Besides a tragic past I didn't really hear anything that was unusual." Sam said as he looked back over his shoulder at the house.

"You didn't think there was anything off about her? Anything strange, supernatural about her?" Dean questioned him as he leaned against the Impala's roof, looking at Sam who stood across from him.

"She was a little unusual, but that's all." Sam shrugged back.

"I think we need to look more closely at this." Dean argued as he looked back up at Shiera's house, he could almost sense her watching him from the upstairs windows, they hadn't fooled her, she knew they weren't just writing an article.

* * *

"Well I think you may be right on this one Dean." Sam announced as his brother arrived back to the motel from getting food (which with Dean meant greasy burgers or something even more artery clogging).

"Oh yeah, what you find?" Dean asked him.

"Well her family seems to have a lot of history, I mean the amount of stuff I found on her could fill a whole book and that was before I started looking into her family." Sam told him as he continued scrolling through whatever was on his computer screen. Dean put his junk food down on the table across from Sam and looked at him expectantly. Sam continued to scroll. Dean signed impatiently at his brother.

"Sam, what you find." He not to gently reminded Sam that he was still waiting on his answer.

"Oh right sorry, well her parents accidental death doesn't look so accidental. The car they crashed in was totalled but both of their bodies were undamaged."

"Stanger things then that have happened Sam, Rigby's believe or not might find that interesting but not us." Dean told him as he picked out his burger from its rapper.

"True, but Shiera was also in the car, she suffered from a broken rib and nasty head trauma, what are the odds that her parents would be unharmed and not survive and that she would be injured and walk away." Sam countered his brothers dismissal. Dean thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Ok that is kinda strange, but not enough to work with."

"Ok get this, her grandmother was in perfect health when she was given custody of Shiera, the state required her to take a heath check etc because of her age before allowing her to adopt and take Shiera home, then she dies a year later."

"Old people die Sam, it's sad but true."

"Yea but she died like a year after taking her home, to the day, and her cause of death is listed as sudden death syndrome." Sam looked up at Dean, waiting for the inevitable question to follow.

"Sudden death syndrome?" Dean asked him with a mouth full of hamburger

"Yea, it's what coroners put on death certificates when they don't know how someone dies, so they don't have to put down cause unknown." Sam patiently explained.

"Ok that is weird." Dean admitted.

"Her whole family history is full of stories that this, I mean they are sort of an urban legend in the town because of all the strange things that have happened to them, and Shiera is certainly not normal, I mean look at how she lived, all locked up in that dark house." Dean couldn't argue with that.

"Yea I know, she was hiding something from us that's for sure and I don't think she really wanted us spending too much time in that house with her." Dean added thoughtfully.

"So what you think? Wait till she goes out and check out the house?" Sam suggested

"Yea, we can start tonight." Dean decided as he turned his full attention back to his hamburger.

"Tonight? Why? She'll hardly go out in the middle of the night." Sam looked a bit confused at his brothers decision, Dean knew it seemed odd, but he had a feeling that if they want to figure out what was going on with Shiera, they needed to keep a close eye on her and that meant late night stake-outs.

"I have a feeling about this one Sam, I'm going with my gut." Sam looked at him strangely but shrugged his agreement. Clearly figuring it was easier to just go with this one than to argue.

* * *

It was sometime around three in the morning and still nothing was going on in Shiera Leinshire's house. Dean's gut was still telling him that there was something going on, but his head was telling him that he was being ridiculous and that he needed sleep.

"Dean I don't think anything is going to happen tonight, her lights went out 5 hours ago, she's probably fast asleep." Sam was normally the more patient one of them, but apparently he was sick of sitting in the Impala for hours on end because of a gut feeling.

"I can't explain it Sam, I just have a feeling that there's something going on in that house and if we wait we'll see it." Dean told him not taking his eyes off of the window that was the last to have its lights extinguish earlier, her bedroom he assumed. Sam sighed next to him, but didn't argue any further, but Dean knew he wasn't happy. Sam lasted twenty minutes before arguing again.

"Why don't we come back in the morning, she'll probably head out to college or something and we can search the house then." Sam offered.

"No, we stay here." Dean refused to discuss this with him.

"What do you mean no, I thought we were a team here Dean." Dean mentally rolled his eyes, Sam always had to pick a fight, he could never just shut up and listen to his older brother.

"Dad said to check this place out Sam, so that's what we're going to do." Dean looked over at his brother sitting in the passenger seat.

"We don't know if that's what he meant, and why the hell are we doing what he tells us too" Sam argued back.

"Don't start on that crap again Sam." Dean warned his brother.

"What, he disappears and won't answer our calls or tell us where he is and you still do everything he tells you to." Sam was getting very agitated.

"Look can go back to the motel if you want to, but I'm staying here," Dean glared at Sam, he wasn't in the mood for Sam's rants about their father and his issues.

"Dean-"

"No Sam enough, I don't want to-"

"Dean!" Sam grabbed his arm and pointed to the house. The back of the house was glowing.

"What the hell?" Dean didn't know what it was.

"Looks like we had better check it out." Sam said as he got out of the car, Dean followed suit. He headed straight for the house, he felt a need for urgency, though he didn't really know why.

"Dean!" Sam called him in an urgent whisper. Dean looked back his brother who was standing at the trunk of the car. Dean gave him a 'what?' shrug.

"Don't you think we should bring a few weapons?" Sam asked him.

"No time." Dean told him quickly and started to jog towards the back of the house. The garden gate was easy to jump and Dean made it quickly to the garden. It took him a few moments to figure out what he saw. There was some sort of creature standing in front of the back porch. It was what was causing the glow, though up close it looked, no felt, more like darkness, not light. It was difficult to make out what it really looked like. It seemed to change shape, morph into different appendages and bodies. It was unpleasant to look at, to say the least. Dean who considered himself someone who had seen a lot in his life was momentarily dumbfounded by it. What shook his attention from the creature was movement on the porch, Shiera, still in her bed clothes was walking towards the creature. Her face was blank and she walking in an odd sort of way, like her limbs were weighing her down. She stepped down from the porch and the creature just engulfed her. It was her cry of pain that surged Dean into action. He had no weapon on him, not that he knew what would work on the thing anyway. He just headed straight for it. He wasn't sure how but he managed to grab a hold of Shiera's arm, he pulled her as hard as he could away from the creature. She fell back on him knocking them both to the ground. The creature growled at him and turned to strike at them lying on the ground. There was gunshot just as it was about to hit them, it knocked the creature back. Dean looked up to see Sam running towards them with a shotgun. Dean shook himself to his feet and hauled Shiera up after him. She couldn't seem to stand so he picked her up and ran for the house, Sam right behind him. Sam fired two more shoots at the creature allowing them enough time to get inside. Dean lay Shiera down on the floor and turned to help Sam secure the door. It was a double glass door, they would have to secure it with something else, Dean looked about the room for anything that they could use. There was an old dresser in the corner, it was a start.

"Sam help me move this." Dean started to pull the dresser towards the door.

"Dean look," Sam was looking out at the garden, Dean went to see what it was that he was looking at. The creature was standing in the garden just in front of the porch, it wasn't moving.

"What's it waiting for?" Dean asked.

"Me." Shiera said behind them. She was sitting up her arms wrapped around herself as if she was afraid that she might fall apart if she let go.

"What?" Sam asked her.

"It can't come into the house, so it has to wait for me to come out." She told them. There was real fear in her eyes.

"Are you all right, did it hurt you?" Dean asked as he knelt down beside her.

"No I'm fine." She told him quietly.

"Did you summon that thing?" Sam asked her still keeping an eye on whatever it was that was out there.

"No." She was shaking, Dean figured that she was going into shock. He took off his leather jacket and put it around her. She mumbled a thank you.

"What the hell is that thing?" Dean asked her. She looked up at him; there was pure fear in her eyes.

"I don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

After Shiera's awkward little confession there was a long silence. Shiera just sat on the floor unmoving. She didn't think her legs would be able to hold her up even if she did try to move. The two "reporters" that had so gallantly come to her rescue alternated between watching that monster outside and staring at her. Who they were and what they were doing in her house she had no idea, but for once she was glad to have someone there. They had managed to save her and that was something that no one else had been able to do before. No one had even seen her monster before and had always told her that she had an over active imagination or that it was a hallucination cause be her childhood trauma. She had never really believed either theories, but she had never worked out what it was that she did see either. Now that these "reporters" had pulled her to safety she was able to comprehend what it was that she was seeing, although that didn't make it any clearer to her. The only real thing was that it was real and she wasn't imagining it or crazy, but that didn't really feel like much of a comfort. She wrapped her arms even tighter around herself. What the hell was going on and was it ever going to end!?!

"So you have no idea what that is?" it was the one that had pulled to safety that spoke, he had said his name was Dean if her memory served her right.

"No, until tonight I wasn't even sure if it existed or was just in my head." No need to lie, she was already knee deep in the crazy, why make it any worse.

"You've seen this thing before?" the taller one asked, his name might be Sam. She nodded at him. They both just looked at her, then at each other.

"Anything like this in the journal?" Sam asked Dean.

"No, I'd remember if there was and certainly nothing about it in the entry on Leinshire family." Shiera had no idea what they were talking about, an entry in some journal about her family, who were these guys!?!

"I don't even know where to begin to look for something on that!" Sam added looking out at Shiera's monster, she called it hers because for some strange reason she felt an ownership of it. It had been with her since she was young, her own horrifying companion all these years.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Shiera finally asked them, her voice didn't really portray the level of confusion and frustration she felt, she must be suffering from shock.

"We're the Winchesters." Was all that Dean said to her, as if that answered any sort of question.

"Oh I guess that explains it then." She looked up at him expectantly.

"It does?" he asked her back. She rolled her eyes at him, she knew she was in shock, what the hell was wrong with him.

"Dean," Sam warned him with the same look of annoyance Shiera undoubted wore on her face. "We're hunters, we came here earlier to learn about your family and well, you." Sam explained a little more, but then he also caused several more questions to form in her mind.

"OK, there is clearly allot you have to explain to me and no doubt you want me to explain to you. If that's the case I'm getting a drink." Shiera hauled herself to her feet and swayed a little before gaining her balance. It was then she realised she was still in her PJ's with Dean's leather jacket on. "and some clothes." She added before making her way to the kitchen.

"What about that thing out there?" Sam called after her. She turned to look at him shrugged.

"Normally I'm passed out when it leaves, but it can't seem to get inside the house, so I figure it'll just wait out there for awhile, maybe leave, I don't know." She was remarkably calm she realised, something was very different with her, it must be the shock. With that she left them staring out at the monster and went to get some clothes and double shot of vodka.

* * *

As soon as Dean was sure that Shiera was out of ear-shot he turned to look at Sam. Sam looked as confused as Dean felt.

"What the hell is going on here!" He whispered, just in case.

"I dunno Dean, I've never even heard about anything like this! I have no clue what the hell that thing is, have you?" Sam asked. Dean looked back out at the creature, he was as lost about it as Sam was, and he didn't even know who to call for information about it. This was a situation that he had no previous experience of, what the hell were they gonna do next!

"Ok, well it can't come inside the house, that's good for us." Dean decided to work with what he knew rather than what he didn't.

"Right, but why not?" Sam asked him looking around the room to see if the answer would become apparent to them. Dean start to search with him, Shiera didn't seem to know either or she would have said, but he'd ask her anyway. Dean searched for symbols or talisman or anything that might explain why the creature was prevented from entering the house, he couldn't see anything. He had checked the whole ground floor of the house and found nothing.

"Dean!" Sam called him. Dean found him kneeling at the doorway. Dean checked and found the creature still outside.

"What?" Dean asked thinking that the creature must have done something.

"Look at this." Sam pointed at the threshold of the door. Dean kneeled down beside him. It was metal.

"What's the bet its iron" Sam asked him. Dean smiled well at least something was working for them. They were safe in the house and the creature was venerable to iron.

"Ok so that should hold it out, nice. But what the hell is it?" Dean knew Sam didn't have the answer he just needed to ask it again.

"Great, I was hoping you guys could tell me that." Shiera was standing behind them, fully dressed and allot steadier on her feet.

"Ok you need to start talking." Dean knew she knew more than she was letting on.

* * *

"You first." She told them stubbornly. They had saved her, but who the hell do they think they are to talk to her like that. Dean attempted to stare her down, it couldn't possible work on her after he had saved her from her monster, there was nothing menacing about him after that.

"Look there is something seriously wrong here, and you have the answers so you're gonna tell us everything you know." Dean tried again to bully her.

"I already told you I have no idea what's going on, do I look like someone who has a firm grasp on the situation. You on the other hand have a lot to explain, why are you here? Who are you? What the hell are hunters? What journal were you two talking about and why is there an entry about my family in it?" Shiera was as surprised as Dean seemed to be at her outburst. No one said anything for a few awkward moments, Shiera started to wish that the whole thing was a hallucination and she was about to wake up on her back porch alone and confused.

"Shiera we're sorry, we know it's allot to take in, but we need to figure out what's happening here." Sam had a comforting supportive way about him, Shiera couldn't really be angry with him.

"You're right I'm sorry. Ask away, I'll tell you what you want to know." Shiera sighed her resignation as she sat down in the only chair in the room. Dean began to glare at her as he stood by the door watching the creature outside.

"What do you know about that thing out there?" Sam asked her. Shiera paused, where should she start with a loaded question like that.

"All I knew is that I've been seeing it for years. I don't know what it is, or what it wants with me." Shiera told them honestly.

"When was the first time you saw it?" Dean asked her, curiosity overriding his annoyance it would seem. Shiera paused before answering. It was difficult to talk about it.

"The day my parents died." Sam and Dean exchanged looks, but said nothing.

"How often do you see it?" Sam asked her.

"I don't know, I was young when it started, it seemed like every few months, but as I got older it I began to see it more, every month, then three or four times a month. Now it comes every few days."

"So it's escalating." Sam seemed to be thinking out loud.

"What does it do to you?" Dean asked.

"Dean!" Sam looked appalled by the blunt question.

"We need to know Sam." Dean didn't look at Sam when he said that, he just kept looking at her, Shiera felt a sort of silent support in his eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it." She sent Dean a beseeching look, begging him not to press her, but he ignored it.

"Tell us." It was an order more than anything else. Shiera closed her eyes, she could feel tears forming, but fought them back, she did not want to go all weepy in front of them, they didn't need to see how terrified she was.

"I don't know what it does. I never remember it." It wasn't the whole truth, but it was enough for them.

"You know more than that." Dean pressed her further coming to stand in front if her, towering over her. He was both intimidating and supportive at the same time, though she didn't know how he managed to be both. She looked up at him trying to see if she could trust him with the whole truth; it felt a bit like baring her soul to them. These were things she had never told anyone and what she had told people they never believed. Dean seemed to understand what she was thinking; he knelt down in front of her.

"You can trust us, we _will_ believe you." He told her, his voice more gentle than it had been before. Shiera swallowed and took a breath, now or never.

"I'm not sure exactly what it does, I never really remember it, but after, when I wake up....I feel...... empty. It takes something from me; I just don't know what it is." She couldn't look at either of them as she spoke, it seemed too intimate.

"Empty? Empty how?" Dean asked he wasn't letting her get away with anything. She looked him straight in the eyes.

"Like I'm hallow, like part of me is missing. It feels..... feels like it takes away who I am" When he just continued to look at her she felt herself blush and looked away "I knew you wouldn't understand." She felt Dean's hand on her knee. She looked down at his hand before looking back up at him. He looked at her, much like he had earlier that day when she had been talking about her parent's deaths. Maybe he did understand. Dean stood and turned to look at Sam.

"Well we know it's vulnerable to iron, what were in the rounds you fired earlier?" He asked him.

"Salt, but I think I startled it more than hurt it." Sam shrugged. Dean ran his hand down his jaw and sighed, clearly tired and frustrated. Sam looked the same.

"Thanks by the way." Shiera offered, it seemed an understatement at this point, but they had saved her, it was the least she could do. Dean turned to look at her. She just shrugged up at him. The whole situation suddenly seemed completely ridiculous. Shiera couldn't help but laugh, soon both of them joined her.

"Sorry, it's been a long night." She offered them.

"Yea." Dean agreed with her.

* * *

Sam had no clue what had gotten into Dean, he had been acting different ever since yesterday. He had been right about Shiera, but he didn't normally go purely on gut feeling, and the way he rushed into the backyard last night without a weapon was something Sam had never seen him do. Maybe Dean had just changed during Sam's years away at Stanford, but he didn't think Dean had changed all that much. Sam figured he should keep a close eye on his brother, just in case. With that sorted in his head Sam felt like he could relax a little, he was exhausted, he knew he needed to sleep, but first Dean and he needed to talk about what it was they were dealing with. Shiera had told them a little about the creature, but hopefully between to the two of them they could figure out what the hell was going on.

"Well I think she's asleep." Dean announced as he sat down next to Sam on the sofa. They had moved the sofa from the sitting room and placed in front of the porch doors. The two of them were up on sentry duty, watching the creature outside. It was 5.00 in the morning and the creature had been patiently waiting outside for two hours, it was eerily still as it just seemed to wait for Shiera to come outside again. It was starting to get light out and the creatures strange Dark glow seemed to fade as the light outside got brighter. Sam decided not to mention what he had just been thinking about Dean's behaviour.  
"So?" Sam asked his brother, wondering what he was thinking.

"I dunno Sam, this isn't making a lot of sense to me. I have no idea what that thing is." Dean said as he watched the thing outside.

"Did Dad ever talk or write about anything like it?" he knew Dean knew their Father's journal better than he did, if it was in there Dean would know about it. Dean pause to think about it, then sighed confirming what Sam already suspected.

"No, nothing like this." They sat for a while just thinking.

"This thing appeared the day Shiera's parent's died, that can't be a coincidence. So what does that mean?" Sam asked his brother.

"I don't know, but Dad's journal said that there was a curse on the family, so my guess is that's what that thing is out there is." Dean said pointing out at the creature.

"You think that's a curse?" Sam asked him.

"Yea, think about it. Shiera is the last one in the family, and it was a big family wasn't it?" Dean asked him.

"Yea, yea it was." Sam confirmed, it was such a large family that he hadn't managed to get information on all of the members in the last three generations yet.

"Ok so families like that don't just end, something has to happen, war, famine, a _curse_." Dean explained.

"Yea ok I see that, but that thing out there, that doesn't look like a curse, it's a monster." Sam countered.

"You don't think that thing is a curse?" Dean asked him, sounding a little annoyed. " It's been attacking her since she was a child, it terrifies her. So bad that she can't remember what it is exactly that it does to her." Sam could see that Dean felt strongly about this or was it her, he was smart enough to know that he shouldn't ask him which.

"Ok I guess I can run with that theory. But if all that is true that still doesn't tell us how to stop it." Sam pointed out. Dean nodded. They were both silent for a moment. It was then that Sam noticed something. He creature was gone.

"It's gone Dean." Sam said as he stood to check the whole back yard.

"I didn't see it move." Dean came to stand next to him.

"Ok we know it doesn't like iron, it might not like rock salt, and it won't come inside the house. So that's something." Sam knew it wasn't much but it was a start. "I'll do a little research and see what I can come up with." Sam added when Dean said nothing. Dean just nodded to him.

"I think you need to get some sleep." Sam suggested, his brother was starting to look as bad as he felt.

"Yea, you too. Shiera said there are a couple of spare rooms upstairs, why don't you go crash, I'm gonna sleep down here, just in case." Dean said as he sat back down on the sofa. Sam wanted to argue, but judging by his brothers' behaviour lately, there was little point.

"Ok wake me if anything interesting happens." Sam said as he headed up stairs, he doubted Dean would sleep though, not in his current mood. If he knew his brother at all, he would no doubt stay up, watching and waiting.


End file.
